A Life Worse Than Nightmares
by Ashlee-99
Summary: This is a dark fic about Hermione after the war. She goes home only for more tragedy to strike. Draco must realise what is happening to her before its too late. R for vilolence, language and rape. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Well this is my first fic ever so go easy on me

It is a very dark fic so be prepared.

The first few chapters are just so you know what is going on in Hermione's life before she goes home.

Hermione woke up from her deep slumber smiling, smiling her first real smile in a long time, in two days she was going back home to see her parents. She hadn't seen them in such a long time that she was nervous to see them. She had changed over the year and this would be their first opportunity to see the new Hermione Granger. Girlfriend to the hottest guy in school Draco Malfoy, but emotional mess. Draco and her had got rather cosy while completing their prefect duties together and she had helped him through his hardest time, when his parents had been killed during the final battle and Voldemorts downfall. Voldemort had been conquered when Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco had turned their wands on Voldemort and the hatred that surged through their veins when performing a simultaneous killing curse hadf not killed him but driven him insane, he was transformed into a lifeless being that did nothing more than eat and sleep. Shortly afterwards a furious Lucious Malfoy had duelled with his own son.....and lost. Narcissa had then taken her own life as she wasn't prepared to life through more pain than she had suffered by the hands of her husband and his leader. But life had continued for the famous four and although they had a hard year they were all on the rise emotionally although none of them would get over their emotional scars.

Harry - parentless

Draco - parentless

Ron - only weasley left

Hermione however still had her parents and was keen to make the most of the time she had left with them. That's what she had realised lately she could never take anything for granted ever again.

She shook off the horrible thoughts that plagued her when she wasn't ready for them. There were already tears in her eyes and she had only been awake for ten minutes.

_What a great start to the day_ She thought

She got up and dressed in her black that she had worn since the war. Five months now she counted but no amount of time would bring back those she had lost. She counted them off again in her mind.... a tribute to their memory

_Molly...Arthur....Bill...Charlie...Percy...Fred....George...Ginny...Lavender...Cho...Sirius...Remus...Albus...MadEye...Katie....Hannah....Mrs Figg_

There were of course many more but these were the ones that flashed before her eyes before she told herself to stop as she realise that her cheeks were wet from the tears that she had shed uncontrollably. She managed to stem the flow before she collapsed as she had done so many times before and she headed down into the prefect common room. Draco was already on one of the many couches he turned to face her when he heard her enter the room. He then smiled his sad smile that never ever reached his eyes any more. He never smirked at all, he just had tears and that sad smile.His smile contained so much emotion that any one that saw it almost broke down into a crying mess.

Hermione controlled herself though she had to be strong when so many people had already fallen apart.

"Hey" she said cautiously, not knowing how he would be feeling today.

"Hey baby" he said as she went and snuggled with him on the couch, "How are you feeling today"

"Oh, okay I guess" she said snuggling deeper into him. He was her security and he sensed this.

"Should we go down for breakfast?" He asked

"Oh I 'spose, I don't feel much like eating"

"But 'Mi your skin and bones these days I think we should go down"

"Alright" she said grudgingly, pulling him up from the couch.

They walked hand in hand down to the great hall, through the empty lifeless corridors of Hogwarts. When they entered Hermione let out a gasp. The Great Hall was adorned in black drapes everywhere and the entire Hall was full with people seated on cold wooden chairs. At the front at least a hundred white coffins were laid out side by side.

"Oh my god it's the funeral" Gasped Hermione, "How could we have forgotten"

At that precise moment a tired, distraught looking Minerva stepped up to the podium. She caught sight of them and motioned them to the front. The slowly made their way through the rows to the front aware that every single eye was on them. They sat down on the first two chairs at the front of the hall that were reserved for them beside Harry and Ron.

"Today is the day that we will pay tribute to those who fought for our freedom, the ones that unfortunately do not get to share in our achievements; although we know that they will truly always be there when we need them most. Their memory will live on through us and we should remember them in our times of trouble and we will gain the hope, strength and determination we need to go on surviving. They gave their world for the world we now can create, without the evil that kept us hiding for many years. When we needed them they were there and when we need them in the future they will still bring us the support that we need to survive, simply through their memory, they should never be forgotten for what they did for us, and in turn what our world will become because of their accomplishments. We shall remember always, the ones we have lost. You are not truly lost...because you will stay with us forever" She trailed off sadly.

She walked off the stage as Draco, Hermione, Ron and Harry stood and walked to the dais. It was time for their speech and Hermione was on the verge of tears. Harry was first.

"We all know the sadness that their passing has created. Our world is in half, Hogwarts is know halved. We are not as many yet we can be just as strong, we just need the determination to progress and learn. We are now united under the common goal we can create a new world, one free from the horrible evils that we have encountered. The four Hogwarts houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are not the boundaries of our existence at Hogwarts, we can now unite and become Hogwarts like no other years have done before us, the wizarding world should no longer be split by things such as bloodlines but instead will unite to form a new world unlike any other, so in the first step we will no longer remain separated by petty differences we shall unite."

They stepped down knowing they had down their job, they had spoken what they felt petty rivalries no longer mattered all they had were each other and so they put forward their feeling to the whole wizarding world.

Many more made speeches of what was lost and what they should become.

The ceremony then continued in the entrance hall where a plaque was unveiled. It took up the entire left wall of the entrance hall; it was silver and emitted a pale glow. It contained every name of every person that had fought in the battle, good or bad, dark or light, though separated by a thin white line in the centre.

People soon begun to place objects under the plaque, flowers, teddy bears, and objects that were special to them.

Ron stepped forward and placed 9 white roses under the plaque bound by a black ribbon containing one word 'Weasley Forever'.

"Mum" he muttered, "Dad....Bill...Charlie...Percy....Fred...George...Gin....Hannah..my Family"

He stepped back taking him place once again with the group.

Harry stepped forward and placed a bouquet of lilies meant for every single person that had fought. Tears streaming silently down his face.

Hermione stepped forward and produced a bouquet of buttercups; they were bright and cheery and at the sight of them felt ashamed.

"I'm sorry", she whispered to the plaque, "You deserve more"

She stepped back and huddled with her two best friends as Draco stepped forward and produced a single red rose and whispered,

"Mum, For you" as he set it down in front of him.

He also stepped back and took his place with the group. They stood there for another five minute with tears silently streaming down every face. Remembering all those that had been lost.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione sat in Draco's arms thinking about the day's events, the funeral. It had been held up for months, back then she wished that they would hurry up with the arrangements, she had gotten impatient of waiting for the closure that she dearly wanted, but now, sitting there in Draco's arms she was no nearer to closure then she was a month ago.

_Time can't heal all wounds_ She thought to herself, _I might move on but the wounds will still be there, fresh as ever in my heart_

For her even though the losses were months ago were still raw and every time she thought about them it brought a lump in her throat and she had to struggle to compose herself before the tears started falling.

"Do you want to go down and have a better look at that plaque?" Asked Draco

"Yeah that would be good actually" She replied and for the second time that day, she pulled him up off the couch.

The walked calmly down into the entrance hall and were surprised to see that they was no one left in there. They looked through the doors into the blackness of the night; they had been sitting in the common room hours longer than each of them thought. They both turned their attention to the plaque. There was a large semi circle now visible, which was filled with mourners' gifts to the dead. They walked forward wanting to study the plaque further. Hermione searched until she found all of the Weasley's, next she searched for friends that she had lost. Lastly she looked for Dumbledore, not wanting to forget the powerful headmaster. It was largely thanks to him that they came through the battle as victors. She scanned through the rest of the names on the 'good' side of the plaque. She saw many familiar names, including a large amount of Hogwarts students. Her name was on there, along with Draco, Harry and Ron. They hadn't died but they had fought and that earned them a place on the board to be remembered by in years to come.

The final battle had unfortunately taken place in the Hogwarts castle. Voldemort had attacked during the Christmas Ball that took place shortly before the students were to return home for holidays. Death Eaters swarmed through the students who fought for their lives, but generally the death eaters succeeded. Ministry officials soon arrived but many losses had already been attained and any grown witch or wizard was called on to fight for freedom. It was only after Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco had beaten Voldemort that the 'light' side started to gain the upper hand. The battle waged on for the entire night until every single death eater had been captured or killed, but the losses had been too great and many felt they could not go on. Suicides became widespread throughout the community, it was at least a month later that people finally settled down and started trying to rebuild what they had lost.

Hermione kept looking at the names before she thought to look at who was on the right of the white line. She walked over and looked through the names. There were many names that she knew would be there but a few Hogwarts students that she was shocked to see on the side of the plague. She kept reading though until she heard a gasp from Draco.

"What is it?" She asked

"Come here" He said looking deathly white.

She looked over to where he was pointing and saw the name _Narcissa Malfoy_ on the 'evil' side of the plaque.

"Oh that's horrible" Said Hermione, Narcissa had neither fought nor been on the 'dark' side of the war, she was simply trapped in her marriage.

"That's not fair" said Draco softly, the tears running down his cheeks. He looked sadly at Hermione before collapsing onto her and breaking down like he hadn't done ever before. They both hit the floor and sat there in a heap, Draco sobbing uncontrollably and Hermione trying to be strong but the tears evidently rolling down her cheeks. They remained like this for at least an hour, Hermione now sobbing uncontrollably, letting go of all her emotions for a short while.

She was first to compose her self and muttered to Draco, "It's all right, I'll get it changed"

After another twenty minutes Draco managed to compose himself also, he stood and embraced Hermione protectively, never wanting to let her go.

"Draco, do you want to go back now?" She asked

"No, i need to finish" He replied, finally releasing her.

He turned back to the plaque; she also returned her attention to the names. She continued scanning the 'dark' side. Before stopping on another name, "Tom Marvello Riddle" She felt arms encircle her from behind and smiled as Draco put his head on her shoulder.

"Who's that" he asked noticing her finger linger on the name.

"Voldemort" She whispered.

"Pardon" He asked, "They put that asshole on there, what were they thinking?"

"He deserved to be remembered, everyone deserves that" She whispered again.

"He doesn't deserve anything" Draco replied angrily.

"Everyone deserves a chance to be remembered, he wasn't always evil, he was born as pure as the rest of us, untouched by greed and ambition, he should have the chance to be remembered, i doubt any witch or wizard will fulfill that chance but there should always be that chance" She whispered back and he nodded understanding.

She continued along the names until the very end.

"Come here i want to show you something" Draco whispered in her ear. He led her up to the middle of the 'light names'. He pointed out two names, one below the other. She smiled as she saw the names _James Potter _and _Lily Potter_. They were not forgotten.

"Look at this" He pointed out another name, _Sirius Black, "_Why isn't he on the 'dark' side?"

"He was innocent" She said simply, "Though i think it might confuse a lot of people that his name is there, we never got to prove his innocence to the world"

She explained to him the adventures she had had with the man she thought of as an uncle. He accepted it and the pair made their way up to Minerva's office. They needed that plaque changed for Draco's sake.


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione was furious with Minerva, Narcissa was innocent, there was no reason for her to be on the 'dark' side of the plauque, but Minerva had refused to accept she was good and so Narcissa's name remained where it was, under Lucius'. Hermione was worried for Draco he was starting to fall apart, she could sence a change in him since the funeral.

"Have you decided where you are staying through the holidays Draco?" Asked Hermione while eating lunch in the great hall.

"No, I will probably have to go back to the Manor, but I don't want to" He commented.

"After a couple of weeks you can come and stay with me and my parents"

"I would love that Mione" He replied smiling, this time it wasn't a sad smile it was filled with happines, instead of the sadness and in his eyes you could see the happiness that only Hermione could bring to him.

She smiled back and kissed him slowly on the lips. He still made her feel giddy and happy inside when he kissed her and this time was no different. They broke apart both feeling elated, their passion for each other grew through that single kiss and they both felt it. They would never be seperated.

Hermione grinned and turned back to her food.

"You could always stay with Ron and Harry" Commented Hermione, "Or they could stay with you"

"Your so smart" Said Draco grinning.

_Maybe we can get through this_ She thought

"Hey Mi" She heard from behind her.

"Hey Harry" She said standing and pecking him on the cheek,

"Hey Ron" She said also giving him a peck on the cheek.

They seated themselves next to Hermione, and started piling their plates up with food.

"Where are you two staying for the holidays?" Asked Hermione.

"The Burrow" Said Ron not looking up from his plate. Though Hermione could see that his eyes had glazed over.

"Are you staying there as well Harry?" Draco asked

"Yeah i don't have to go back to the Dursley's any more" Replied Harry, "Where are you staying?"

"'Uhh, at the manor i think, but i don't particually want to"

At this comment Ron seemed to snap out of his daze and turned to look at Draco.

"Why wouldn't you want to?"Ron asked disbelieving, Draco just shrugged.

"I guess it would be lonely" He finally said.

"Well, why don't me and Harry go and stay with you, i don't think i could manage at the burrow"

Draco smile, "Sure"

"Hey Harry did you notice Minerva put your parents on the plaque?"

"What?" Said Harry just before he got up and ran out of the hall.

Hermione flashed Draco a smile as they followed him out of the hall. Harry was standing in front of plaque a dazling grin on his face.

"They deserved this" He said

"Of course they did" Replied Hermione also grinning.

Hermione and Draco said their goodbye's before going up to their dormitories to pack.

---------------------------

Hermione smiled as she got off the Hogwarts Express, she would be back with her parents for a couple of weeks and she couldn't wait. There they were standing there waiting for her, broad grins plastered on their faces. She ran to her mother and she was sure she knocked the wind out of her with the force that she had hit her aging mother. Then in turn she hugged her father tightly. She then kissed each of them before she ran off again to get her luggage. She saw Harry carrying some of her luggage and smiled at him.

"Thanks Harry" She said.

"Draco has your trunk"

"Oh ok" she replied running over to help Draco, who was strugglig with her trunk.

"What have you got in here, the entire library?" He questioned laughing.

Hermione helped him drag it over to her parents before they went off to fetch his luggage.

When they had all there luggage they said their goodbyes. Draco promising to write to Hermione, Hermione promising to invite him over really soon. She also promised to go visit them occassionly, and then she left with a single back ward glance at them before she followed her parents home.


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione woke in the comfort of her bed at home, although it was nothing to her bed at Hogwarts it was her own and she liked it. She heard the familiar sound of an owl tapping at her window. She groggily got out of bed and let the owl in, it held out its leg obediently as Hermione untied the letter. The owl then took off out the window, Hermione wished it didn't have to go, it was Harry's owl Hedwig and she was a very beautiful snowy owl. She untied the letter and read:

_Dearest Hermione,_

_We Hope that you are having fun with your parents. We all miss you so much all ready. Life here at the Manor is bliss, except that we have to do all the chores. I don't know how parents cope. Can you come and have dinner with us on Sunday night? Well we hope to hear from you soon_

_All my love,_

_Draco_

She smiled her giddy smile, she was totally head over heels in love with Draco Malfoy and she hated even being separated from him. She decided to ask her parents straight away. She went downstairs into the kitchen where she knew they would be.

"Hey Dad" She said walking into the kitchen and over to the fridge. When he didn't reply she turned around to stare at him, his head was in his hands so she couldn't see what expression he wore, but when he finally spoke his voice was shaky.

"Your m-mother..." He managed so say before rattling in a deep shaky breath that chilled Hermione to the bones, "Sh-She's dead"

"She's what?" Hermione gasped.

"She w-went out this morning to buy you a present and sh-she had a car a-accident" He stuttered.

"No, this can't be happening" said quietly.

"Well it did" He replied just as quietly, and then a change came over him.

"AND ITS ALL YOUR FAULT YOU STUPID, SPOILT STUCK UP BITCH" He roared at her, she gasped and took off out of the room, but halfway up the stairs he caught her.

"Oh no you don't" He said shortly and then he hit her right in the face, she screamed out in pain, her nose was broken she was sure of it. Her father didn't stop there though; he grabbed hair and pulled her up the stairs to her bedroom. Once he shut the door, he grinned maliciously.

"Did you know...?" He started before punching her in the stomach.

"Now you have stolen my wife..." He slapped her across the face, all the while tears pouring down her cheeks.

"From me..." He kicked her in the back and she fell to the floor begging him to stop.

"Your mother used to beg too..." He stated clearly, she gasped as he yanked her head back by her hair.

"Don't beg..." He said before slapping her again.

"It's..." slap.

"Weak" slap.

"You will regret that you were ever born" He said clearly before bashing her head against the wall, knocking her unconscious, her body slumped against the wall bleeding in many places. Satisfied he smirked before snapping her wand in half and locking up all her magical items.

----------------------------

When Hermione woke up she was engulfed in darkness. She was in severe pain, and she struggled to remember why, then all the memories of that morning hit her. Her mother was dead and her father had taken it out on her. She broke down into a sobbing heap, unable to stop for hours.

----------------------------

She gingerly tried to stand but her strength had disappeared, she slumped back down again. It was at that moment that she realized she wasn't in her bedroom any more. She was sitting on a cold concrete floor, she struggled to see around her, but she saw was blackness. She started crawling slowly around looking for something to help her stand. She felt a brick wall; she stood and steadied herself against it, cold sweat mingling with old tears. She felt a draught from somewhere to her right and she slowly limped towards it. It turned out to be coming from under a door. When she tried the door she was surprised to see that it was unlocked, when she opened it she found that she was in her own house. She had been thrown in the basement. She crept forward into the bathroom and found the light switch, she was afraid to look in the mirror but she needed to do this. As she saw herself she let out a gasp, her face was a mixture of purple, yellow, blue and green and she had barely any normal skin colour left. Her lip was split and still bleeding, but her nose was a mess, it was crooked and there was a mixture of dry, crusty blood and blood still flowing out of her nose.

She then took off her clothes and hopped into the shower. The water was painful on her skin but she cleaned herself up. Her stomach was also very bruised and she had several bruises on her arms and legs. She got out and dried herself.

_Why don't I just run away_ She thought to herself.

_Because you think he will stop but he wont_

_Of course he will stop, he was just angry because his wife died_

She broke down, she hadn't really thought about what it all meant, her own mother was dead and her father was right it was her fault.

_Everything is my fault_ It's my fault my dad beat me up, everything is my fault, I hate life. She sat there leaning against the bathroom wall sobbing her heart out, she felt she had nothing left. The world had taken everything from her.

_Draco_ She though, if he found out he would murder my father.

"No one can ever know" She finalized out loud.

"That's right" Said a cold voice from the door.


	5. Chapter 5

"Dad" Said Hermione, cautiously.

"Shut up you little bitch" He said coldly before stalking away.

Hermione went quietly to her bedroom before she broke down again, she didn't want to see that man ever again, and she wanted her father back. The nice, generous man that would do anything for his little princess.

"It's not fair" She sobbed, "Why does everything horrible happen to me?"

She still had a broken nose, but she couldn't do anything about it, she had no wand and there was no way she would risk going to the doctors.

Two days ago she felt as though the world was returning to normal, but this just threw it way back into the horrible world she lived in for months. She hated life, she wanted it to end. Draco, Ron and Harry were the only things she had. They were her world; she could never live without them. Though she was sure they would manage without her. Draco... was the last thing she thought of before she nodded off to sleep.

-----------------

"Get up you lazy whore and go make me breakfast" Roared a man from in the next bedroom.

She grudgingly got out of bed and went downstairs; she didn't want to give him another excuse to bash her.

She cooked him eggs and bacon and took that along with an orange juice up to her father's bedroom. She gave it to him and then left, it chilled her to the bone to be with him.

She went back to her bedroom, and sat on her bed.

"Mum...if your up there" She whispered, "You have to help me....I c-can't cope with this...not now...not ever"

Tears were starting to roll down her cheeks, she was now as good as orphaned, this world had taken everything from her life and she couldn't cope anymore.

"What do you think you are doing?" She heard her father's voice from behind her, "Why aren't you cleaning?"

He came over to her bad and when he saw the tears, he lost control again. The man behind the eyes was no longer her father, he was a changed man.

He slapped her across the face but she just sat there sobbing.

"Get the fuck up and do the house work" He roared, "Making her jump.

"N-no" She said between sobs, "how can you do this to me, I am your daughter"

"You are no child of mine" He replied as cold as ever.

He seized her by the hair and once again punched her in the nose. She howled from the pain, and he grinned. She wasn't going to take this anymore. She punched him back but she knew she hadn't hurt him very much. He tackled her to the floor and she bit him. He punched her in the stomach several times before he managed to control her. She lay on the ground whimpering, while he pinned her to the ground.

"I think we might have a bit of fun now" He stated the lust pouring from his mouth.

"No" She sobbed you c-can't do this to me...I-I'm a v-virgin"

"Bullshit" Was all he said.

He stood and circled the whimpering heap on the ground. He lunged forward and tore her pants off; she managed to give him one good kick before he pinned her down again. He wrenched off her shirt and ripped off her bra. He then stood again and circled her; she was sobbing harder than ever and trying to cover herself up. He lunged forward and pulled off her panties, then pinned her down again so she couldn't breathe. He lifted off her slightly and started licking and biting her nipples.

"How could you do this t-to m-me?" She managed to say through her crying.

He didn't answer just tore off his own pants before entering her roughly and pleasing himself, but hurting Hermione. She cried out in pain as he abused her body, every inch of her was aching she just wanted her life to be over, she had been through too much.

When he had satisfied himself he dragged her by her hair down into the basement, where he handcuffed her to the window bars. He left the light on this time, but she heard the door lock when he left.

She was so uncomfortable, the window was above her head so she was forced to stand, but her body ached all over. She was still naked and she was starting to get really cold. Her nose was extremely painful but she couldn't do anything about it. She shivered from the cold and from the pain she was feeling emotionally. Her scars ran deeper than most right to her heart.


	6. Chapter 6

She woke to the sound of a door creaking open. She had no idea how she could have fallen asleep she was practically hanging, her hands in handcuffs, cutting deeper and deeper into her wrist, blood running down her arms. She had also attained more bruises over her body and she couldn't stand the pain she was feeling emotionally and physically. She opened an eye painfully and looked at the man that was standing before her. There was no look of remorse in his eyes, only pain and anger. He surveyed the damage he had done, it wasn't enough yet.

"P-please...just end it I don't want to feel any more....I don't want to live any more...Just end it" She finished sadly

"No...You will feel the pain I feel until that pain goes away" He stared into her eye that was open.

"You don't think I don't feel for my mother... l-let alone th-the fact that h-half of my f-friends died a few m-m-months ago" She said before the tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"Your friends?" He inquired

"Yes" She replied wearily.

"I don't care" He recovered turning away and walking back out of the door turning the light off as he went.

It was then that she decided to pay her last tribute to the ones that had been lost. She was sure she wouldn't make it through this adventure. She didn't have Harry, Draco or Ron when she needed them most. She was sure that she hadn't eaten in 3 days and her wrists were bleeding steadily as though they had been slit. The end would come soon she could feel it. Her tears rolled down her cheeks as all her energy drained away slowly.

---------------

Hermione slowly woke and became accustomed to her surroundings, she was back in her bedroom, but her body still ached incredible. She wondered why she was back in here; her father must have brought her back in here while she was unconscious. She heard a tap on the window and slowly and painfully went over to let the owl in. Hermione retrieved the letter and opened it.

_Hey Mi,_

_How come you haven't written back? I expect you are having a good time, but don't forget us ok? So are you coming to the Manor for dinner tonight or are you staying with your parents. I hope nothing is wrong. If I don't get a reply within two days I'm coming to see you. I look forward to your reply._

_Love you forever_

_Draco_

She turned to see her father standing in the doorway looking livid.

_'OH SHIT' _She thought.

"Give that....to me" He said breathing loudly.

She handed it to him and she saw the predicament he was in. If she didn't write back they would come for her.

"What are you waiting for? Write back you dirty whore"

She grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill before sitting gingerly down at her desk. She could feel him breathing down the back of her neck as she thought what to write. She had the perfect plan, she just hoped Draco would realize.

_My Dearest Draco,_

_I am having a great time here with my parents. I didn't realize how much I missed them. I am almost as much fun with my father as you had with yours. I will not be coming to dinner, I am simply enjoying myself too much here. I will see you as soon as I can. Give my love to Harry and Ron_

_With all my love_

_Hermione_

_XxXx_

She handed it to her father who read and re-read it. When he was convinced that there was no hidden message gave it back to her. She tied it to Hedwig's leg and watched as he took off out of the window. She hoped with all her heart that Draco would realize and help her.

------------------

Draco was sitting in a large armchair reading a magazine, while Harry and Ron played chess. Ron winning every single time. He noticed tapping on the window and leapt up it could only be from Hermione. They all thought it strange that she hadn't written back yet, they weren't worried they just expected her to be having a good time with her parents. He coaxed the owl inside and took off the letter. Hedwig immediately flew over to Harry and landed on his shoulder. Draco opened the letter

_My Dearest Draco,_

_I am having a great time here with my parents, I didn't realize how much I missed them. I am almost as much fun with my father as you had with yours. I will not be coming to dinner, I am simply enjoying myself too much here. I will see you as soon as I can. Give my love to Harry and Ron._

_With all my love_

_Hermione_

_XxXx_

_'Having almost as much fun with her father as I did with mine'_ He thought to himself,

"Oh my god I think Hermione is in trouble"


	7. Chapter 7

"Now go make me breakfast mudblood"

_'Mudblood' _She thought, '_He shouldn't know that word'_

She was looking at him and noticed him pause realising what he had said.

"Wait on....Who the hell are you?" She said, the fear noticable in her voice.

He cursed himself and turned slowly, "we shall see by the end of the hour" He Replied before walking out of the room.

She was dumbstruck for a few seconds wondering what he meant before she realised

'_Polyjuice potion....it wasn't my dad after all'_

She knew she shoudl have run away but curiosity got the better of her so she stayed where she was. It was around four minutes until the end of the hour when she heard a rock hit her window. She looked out to see Draco, Harry and Ron all standing in the street below her window. She motioned for them to come in side quietly. She knew he would be back in a matter of minutes and she had to explain her plan to them.

"Oh my God 'Mi whats happened to you" Draco asked embracing her so tightly it was painful for her sore body.

"Draco, we have to hurry he will be back in a minute, stun him the moment you see him"

The three boys nodded and hid as they heard the man thump his way up the stairs. They moment he entered the room he hit the floor, stunned, by three stunners to the chest.

"Your dad" Draco gasped, embracing Hermione again, when she gasped at the pain he nodded and muttered a few words and the pain was gone.

"That should do before we get you to St Mungos" He said starting towards the door.

"No Draco wait, It's polyjuice, I want to know" She muttered before collapsing, tears once again rolling down her cheeks.

All three boys ran to her and comforted her, when she composed her self she turned to see a man that she didn't know but had an uncanny resemblance to Lucius Malfoy.

"Uncle Zullious" Explained Draco, "You arrogant bastard, you are going to die for this"

"I did it for you, your father and your mother"

"My mother would have NEVER wanted this, she is my GIRLFRIEND, and as for my father well he would have wanted anything for me to suffer"

"He loved you and you betrayed him and he died and it's all this mudblood's fault" He replied angrily motioning to Hermione.

"She....is....my.....life" Draco spat at him before puting a full body bind on him, "Like I said you will pay for this"

The first thing he did was take Hermione out of the room. Hermione sank to the ground outside her bedroom.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Hermione" He whispered to her. The tears still falling down her cheeks. She sat there for ten minutes in his arms, him whispering sweet apologies to her, before Harry came out saying he'd sent Hedwig to the ministry, alerting them of the situation.

"You should take her to St. Mungo's Draco" Ron said poking his head out of the door, but only for a second before he dissappeared again, not wanting the prisoner to escape his binds.

Draco made an charmed Hermione's teddybear into a portkey, he knew he would pay for it later but he thought he had a good cause. He held Hermione up and they both touched the bear. They both felt the familiar jerk behind the navel as they were transported to St. Mungo's.

A/N - This isn't finished yet, I'll update soon


	8. Chapter 8

Draco tried to keep them both standing as they touched down in the reception area, but they both went crashing to the floor. Draco stood immediately pulling Hermione up after him, she still hadn't said anything and he was incredibly worried. It was a good thing he was so caught up in what he was doing, so he couldn't see the many faces that were staring curiously at him, although one had a livid look on his face as they got to their feet.

"WHAT..." He started, "Do you think you are doing?"

"Getting Hermione to the hospital" He replied rushing past the man to the reception window, "We need to see a healer immediately"

"And why do you think that you have priority to all these people waiting patiently for a healer" Said the Welcome Witch.

"Because my girlfriend, Hermione Granger" He started before lowering his voice, "Has been raped and beaten"

At the sound of Hermione's name the witch sat bolt upright, they were, after all, famous in the wizarding world.

"Well you'll need to head this way", she said opening the door of the reception area, "It leads to physical and mental injuries"

Draco helped Hermione through the doorway, and led her into a white corridor.

"Where the hell are we?" Draco cursed.

"Can I help you?" Said a stern voice from behind him, he turned to see a witch in her late 20's looking concerned at Hermione's state.

"Yes, my girlfriend has been raped and beaten" Said Draco steadily,

"_And it's all my fault" _He thought

"Well you'll need to come through here, I'll check her over" She lead him into the room opposite, Draco didn't notice anything about the room, only Hermione.

"Can you wait outside please?"

"Do I have to?"

"Yes you do"

Draco walked moodily outside, black robes billowing behind him. He paced the corridor repeatedly only thinking of Hermione, while inside the room Hermione was being prodded and poked by numerous objects. She still hadn't said a word, she couldn't speak, her world, in her opinion had fallen apart. She still had Draco but at this point in time it wasn't enough for her. She didn't blame him for what his uncle had done, but she was angry at the prejudices that the two of them had come up against during their relationship. No one had accepted their relationship in the beginning, she knew it would be harder for them, but she didn't realize people would be so against it. Harry and Ron had come round eventually, but Draco hadn't been so lucky, many of his friends had rejected him, his father and other family members had disowned him as a Malfoy, why did it have to be so hard for them?

"Ma'am can you please tell me what happened"

Hermione didn't answer, she couldn't instead she just lay there, staring at the ceiling.

"Maybe some sleep would do you good" The healer commented.

Hermione although her physical pain was better, her nose had been healed, her cuts and bruises were healed but her pain went right to her core, she didn't think she would ever recover, life was simply too painful for her.

She drank the potion the healer had given her and curled up to sleep.

--------------------

"You can go see her now, I've given her a dreamless sleep potion" The healer said to a still pacing Draco.

Draco immediately went to her bedside and held her hand as she slept, every now and then kissing her hand and whispering his apologies.

---------------------

A/N this still isn't finished so don't stress, next chapter up in the next few days.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey.... I am soooooo sorry this took so long i was planning to have this completed a few weeks a go, but school and such got in the way and as i said i am sorry.

----- ---- ----- -----

Hermione woke in a seamless white room. It obviously was small but she couldn't see where the floor ending and the walls began. Tiredly she rolled over to see the sleeping figure of the love of her life Draco. Of course he was the only one for her, in her pain she had forgotten that for a moment, but her passion for him was simply too much for her to just throw away, especially when the rest of her life had crumbled into a disastrous heap. Draco, Harry and Ron were the only things she had left that were solid and dependable; she could always rely on them to be there for her. If, unfortunately, they came to the end of their lives then she knew they would wait for her in Heaven, it was unquestionable, the four of them had an exceptionally close bond, they had been through so much that they needed a new word for the relationship that they had with each other, they weren't simply friends, they were closer than most people were to another in their entire lives.

As Hermione came to this conclusion she turn to her Draco, he belonged to her now. He was sleeping so peacefully, no existence of the smirk that was once plastered on his angelic face. He was sitting on a chair facing Hermione, but his arms were folded onto the bed and his face lay tiredly on top. She leant forward and kissed hi lips softly, feeling the softness of his lips she seemed satisfied and took one of his hands in her own before laying down and falling asleep once more.

----- ----- ----- -----

When Hermione next woke she saw that there were now four people sitting anxiously waiting for her to awake. The first she noticed of course was Draco, but Harry, Ron and Minerva were also there all conversing near the door.

"Hi" She said sitting up yawning.

The four immediately turned to her concerned looks on their faces. They hurried over to her bed, where Draco took her hand in his and kissed her lightly on the lips. Hermione smiled a small smile as she looked into Draco's eyes. Draco was shocked that she was smiling and actually grinned back.

"So..." She said.

"Oh, 'Mi, we are so glad that you are okay" Ron said lunging forward, it was evident that he had been crying and she hugged him tightly and kissed him on the cheek whispering a small, "Thank you" in his ear.

He just looked back at her sadly.

Harry leapt at her and hugged her tightly, though refusing to let her go.

"Ha... Harry, really I'm fine" Hermione whispered into his ear.

When he pulled away she saw that he was crying openly for her, he then grinned, while tears were still streaming down hie face. It wasn't a happy smile but it wasn't a sad smile either, Hermione then concluded that it was a relieved smile. She was numb from all the pain she had gone through, and she didn't know whether she liked it or not. To feel was to be sane and human, and she couldn't feel the pain that she should have been feeling.

Minerva was still standing near the doorway a look of utter relief on her face, she smiled at her past favourite student before turning and walking out of the room, leaving the troubled teenager with the people she needed most.

"Hermione, Zullious has been kissed by the Dementors, I... I just though you might have wanted to know" Said Draco quietly.

"Draco I don't blame you" Hermione said, correctly reading why he had said this.

"But it's all my fault, it's all my fault..." He trailed off tears running down his cheeks.

"Draco, it is not your fault, listen to me", she wiped the tears away with her thumb before continuing, "We knew this relationship was going to be hard, and yes nobody should have to deal with what I had to, but nobody should have to be bound by the prejudices that we had to overcome, and if I deserved this for ruining more than one family then that's the way it is, but I don't take anything back and neither should you, I love you with all my heart"

"I love you more" He whispered back, kissing her with all his passion.

----- ----- ----- -----

A/N -

I would just like to say thank you to my reviewers ;) thanks guys!!

There is one more chapter to come..


	10. A New Beginning

Hermione remembers months passing in a bur, and eventually a year had gone by since the final battle. She didn't realise that she could last a whole year without those she had lost, her parents were now added to that list and she sighed as she got up from her double bed that she shared with Draco. He was sleeping peacefully facing her direction and she smiled. Four weeks ago they had married and Hermione was now pregnant with her first child. Draco was ecstatic but also having a stress attack. Fretting about whether he would be a good father or not.

Hermione scribbled a note to Draco quickly before aparating to a small graveyard. She walked over to two newer gravestones that were slightly separated from the others. She bent down and kissed each of the cold stones before placing a white rose in front of each of them. Her parents had brought her into this world and she would miss them forever.

She let out a sob before aparating back to her and Draco's manor. They had knocked down the aging Malfoy Manor and built and new, smaller but still grand manor. It held everything that they wanted for their home, and everything Draco wanted his old home to be like which was basically minus the Dark Magic and bad memories. She cried out all of her tears before cleaning herself up and going back up to the bedroom. She scrunched up the unread note, Draco was still fast asleep and she kissed him until he woke up. He tiredly opened his eyes and when he saw her standing in front of him, pulled her on top of him kissing her deeply. She grinned sheepishly as she pulled away.

"Come on Draco, we're going to be late if you don't hurry up"

She then left the room to take a shower. She didn't want to go back to Hogwarts today, it held too many bad memories for her to handle, but the one year anniversary memorial service was being held today and the Great Hall and there was no way her or Draco could get away with skiving off it, not that she wanted to of course. The people they were to remember deserved everything, but she didn't want to have to relive it again. She had too many times in her dreams already, but this day wasn't about her pains, it was about the dead.

----- ----- ----- -----

As Hermione walked slowly up the stone steps that lead to Hogwarts entrance hall she was glad she had the security of Draco. He was holding he hand softly and she felt protected from everything. It had been the way she always felt when he held her and comforted her.

When they reached the doors she took a deep breath before stepping into the castle she once loved so dearly. It was once her home, her comfort, her security, but after she left she found she had gained a sort of resentment towards the old castle and she never wanted to go back there, but here she was once again standing in the beautiful entrance hall, though for an event she never wished to go through.

As she looked around the beautiful hall she rediscovered in a moment the love she had developed during her years spent schooling here. Discovering her new love for the place she never wanted to leave in fear that she would never return, something which she now dreaded. She never wanted to forget the place; it had brought so much to her but also taken so much away from her.

When she finally snapped out of her thoughts she realised that they were standing in front of the plaque. A single tear escaped her eye and as it began to run down her face before Draco kissed it away.

"Its okay baby, you'll be okay, I know it" he whispered encouragingly in her ear.

She looked up at him smiling, "I know" She whispered back.

He kissed her forehead before walking into the memorial service.

------ ------ ----- ------

"Hermione may I talk to you for a moment?" Minerva asked, "Perhaps a coffee in my office?"

"Of course" Said Hermione smiling, it was after the memorial, and Hermione hadn't cried half as much as she thought she would have, so she gladly followed Minerva up to the Headmistress' office.

"Uniting" She said crisply to the gargoyle guarding the secret office.

When Minerva had settled herself behind the large desk, she looked intently at Hermione before speaking.

"Hermione as you know, we are short a few teachers at the moment" She began. "I am aware that you have no qualifications and you are expecting a child, but Hermione we need you, we were hoping that you could teach Muggle Studies"

Hermione absorbed this for a moment before speaking, "But Draco..."

"I am well aware that you two do not cope exceptionally well while separated and that is why Draco will be asked to teach the free Defence Against the Dark Arts classes"

"Draco... a-a teacher?"

"Yes Hermione, a teacher"

"Ah... well, I will have to talk to Draco I suppose"

"Naturally", Said Minerva.

----- ----- ----- -----

Two weeks later Draco and Hermione were unpacking into a huge bedroom. They basically had their own house in the castle. They had a nursery already fixed up for the baby, which was due during the beginning of the next year, a kitchen, bathroom and a living area.

"Just imagine Draco, our little baby growing up in Hogwarts"

"Has this ever happened before?" Asked Draco, "A child being brought up at Hogwarts?"

"No" Said Hermione grinning, "We will make history"


End file.
